[The_Reader_David]

Orthodox practice is to fast according to the Lenten rule on Wednesdays and Fridays (except for the week of the Pharisee and the Publican, Bright Week (following Pascha) and the time from Christmas until the vigil of Theophany. (Of course in addition to the four major fasts: Great Lent, the Nativity Lent, the Apostle's Fast and the Dormition Fast, and sometimes modified to allow oil and wine, or fish, oil and wine when a major feast falls on the day.) The strictly observant eat only one meal on Lenten days, and that after the ninth hour (3:00 PM). More commonly the rule of abstinence from all foods derived from vertibrates, oil, wine and strong drink is observed in addition to a lightening of meals form what are usually eaten.

I wasn't really faulting the Latin church for the excesses of Mardi Gras, only for 1. vitiating their traditional fasting discipline at Vatican II, and 2. not providing a lead up to Lent in terms of discipline to ease the faithful into the season of repentence as the Orthodox Church does even back when their ascetic practice was more vigorous--which lack provided the easily paganized last big party just before Lent (which now thanks to 1. no longer even serves as a farewell to meat).

[Catholicguy]

Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine,

There's dance and song and good red wine.

At least I've always found it so:

Benedicamus Domino!

(Hilaire Belloc)

I'll be polishing off a few more bottles of delicious Cabernet before Mardi Gras ends. I'll also be supping on rich meats and rich chocolate. I am even thinking of exercising my marital rights.

David, I shall walk outside tonight, face Mt. Athos, take a big sip of a full-bodied Cabernet and say "see ya in the funny papers, sucker."

Have a Blessed Lent and try and reform your ugly habit of always having to denigrate your Latin borthers as a way of elevating your Greek Communion.

All that really does is betray a lack of self-confidence.